Graduate students say Harvard hindered vote to unionize

Harvard graduate students who are trying to unionize say the university wrongly prevented hundreds from voting in a union election.

The Harvard Graduate Students Union filed objections Thursday with the National Labor Relations Board over the November election, which will decide if Harvard's graduate student workers will be represented by the United Auto Workers union. A preliminary count found the election too close to call.

The group says Harvard left hundreds of students off a list of eligible voters, causing confusion about who could vote. It also says Harvard used students' preferred names, leading to problems for international students with different legal names.

Harvard officials say they worked diligently on the list, adding that the challenge isn't surprising because the union group was behind in the early tally.